Democracy and democracy

Most Americans know that a democratic form of government is one based on individual and national self-rule.  But democracy as a code of human conduct?  Most Americans know as much about democracy the philosophical ideal as they know about speaking ancient Greek.

Go ahead:  Ask any American.  Ask yourself:  What defines democratic philosophy?

There will be many guesses and half-guesses, of course, but it is safe to predict that most will be incorrect.  It is also safe to predict that, once the democratic philosophy is defined, most Americans will not believe that their society’s conduct can be based on such a belief.  Indeed, democracy will sound to most Americans like communism, socialism or that other, still lingering, likeminded “evil”--liberalism.

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines philosophical democracy as principles of social equality and individual rights.  My Illustrated Oxford Dictionary (Revised First Edition, 2003) defines a democratic society as being classless and tolerant.

Well, now:  Just how democratic is the “average” American?

Too many Americans’ knowledge of laudable individual and social conduct becomes stunted at a championing of individual rights only.  Because of such an arrested development, those who most vociferously advocate individual rights as what it means “to be an American” are also those within society most likely to advocate an “America—Love It or Leave It” brand of patriotism.  The democratic principle of social equality becomes code for Marxist Leninism, classlessness is defined as “class warfare” and a notion that Americans aren’t tolerant can be countered with the popular intolerant charge that such a commentator “Hates America.”  Tolerance for anything other than defending a pre-Civil Rights Era, early 1950s version of the American status quo—when most Americans knew their place--is condemned. 

It’s amazing, really, how little most American people know about democracy, and how even less regard most Americans have for democratic philosophy.  “Are you crazy?  What are you--nuts?” is not an uncommon comeback to hear when Americans are told that there’s more to democracy than just a nationalistic “right” to do whatever we damned well please.

So now that you know you’re not a democrat, what are you?  And how is that better than the social philosophy our country’s Founding Fathers held up to the rest of the world in the 1770s as the best hope for Humanity?